Archery Foundations

Explore finger tab and finger gloves for longbows and recurves, then compare caliper, hinge, back-tension, thumb, and tension releases for compounds, including safety features.

Choose your bow style by weighing recurve, long bow, and compound options, balancing simplicity, accuracy, and technology. Crossbows are usually not allowed at ranges, so start with a basic bow.

Explore bow types and archery styles governed by the National Field Archery Association. Learn about classes like bow hunter freestyle and freestyle limited, and note yardage adjustments.

Identify your dominant eye through a simple alignment test. Then align shooting technique by matching eye and hand dominance, using options like an eye patch or switching hands.

Determine your longbow draw length by measuring from your anchor to the tip of your middle fingers with a tape measure, then divide by 2.5 to select the right bow.

Determine your draw weight by size and age, using the shooter's guide. Choose a lighter poundage you can pull comfortably to maintain form and prevent flinching.

Discover how to choose wood arrows with proper spine for a longbow, understanding archer's paradox, tip weight, poundage, and using an arrow chart to match draw length.

Learn essential longbow accessories and safe setup, including using a bow stringer, finger tab, arm guard, quiver options, arrow puller, and a knife for stuck arrows, before shooting recurve.

Choose your draw weight carefully and start lighter, increasing poundage as you gain strength. For recurves, swap limbs to progress while you hold, aim, and release with proper form.

Select the correct arrow spine for your recurve by matching draw length, draw weight, and tip weight to the aluminum or carbon spine charts, using fiberglass only for beginners.

Choose arrow tips based on spine and tip weight, select the right nock size for your bowstring, and consider fletching options or preassembled arrows for quick setup.

Learn to set up a recurve with essential accessories, including a bow stringer, finger tab or gloves, arm guard, finger leash, rests, quiver, wax, and tuning tools.

Determine draw length for compound bows by measuring arm span from middle finger to middle finger with help, then divide by 2.5. 73-inch span yields about 29.2 inches.

Determine your bow length by matching draw length adjustment; compounds vary in forgiveness. For beginners, choose a longer axle-to-axle for more margin of error, and brace height affects accuracy.

Assess bow weight to hold it up with a stabilizer and gadgets, maintain steady form, and avoid reduced arrow flight and impact—crucial for kids.

Learn how draw weight works on compound bows, including lead off, valley, and holding full draw, while adjusting poundage and managing fatigue as speed tightens sight pins.

For a compound bow, choose carbon arrows over fiberglass and aluminum. Carbon arrows stay straight and resist bending, offering the best balance of accuracy and durability.

Choose arrow tip weight and spine for your draw length to ensure proper flex and avoid deflection, using the carbon arrow chart to match 100 grain tips to 400 spine.

Find the right knocks for your compound bow by matching string strand count, bow poundage, and center serving thickness to ensure a secure snap-on fit.

Master bow and arrow safety by avoiding dry firing, never point downrange, avoid high or low draw by pulling from bottom up to the target, and inspect equipment for damage.

Explore archery stance options—squared, open, and closed—assessing comfort, stability, and potential drawbacks, and learn to choose a consistent, straight, tall posture before knocking the arrow.

Master hook and grip by hooking the string or attaching the release or d loop, set the grip inside the lifeline near the thumb, and keep a relaxed 45-degree elbow.

Stand tall and straight in a capital-t stance, keep hips neutral, and ensure draw length fits. On uphill or downhill shots, bend at the waist instead of tilting the hips.

Raise the bow from the hook and grip with a tall posture, lifting straight up to the target while keeping the elbow up and avoiding high or low draws.

Master the draw down in archery by engaging back muscles, keeping the front shoulder down and forward, drawing straight back with the hand at 45 degrees from a tall posture.

Discover how to establish a consistent anchor on the face—nose on the string, cheek, or jawline—tailored to recurve and compound bows, and keep a straight, repeatable draw.

Transfer the weight from the arms into the back muscles to create back tension through the shot for a steadier hold.

Master aiming techniques in archery, including instinctive, split-vision, gap method, and string walking. Learn to align anchor points, contact points, and peep sights or pins on traditional and compound bows.

Learn release and follow-through fundamentals, including back tension, full draw, anchor, and keeping the bow arm up to commit to the shot, stay on target, and prevent arrow creep.

Use feedback from arrow impact to evaluate shots, adjust sight when high shots occur, and focus on good form and the shooting process to beat target panic.

Master the full shooting process in archery foundations, from stance to follow-through, including draw, anchor, aim, release, and post-shot target checks and adjustments.

Practice your bow with a focus on form, starting close at 10–15 yards, then extend distance as you improve. Check stance, posture, and release, using video or coaching for practice.

Develop consistent form and a well tuned bow to sight in reliably. Ensure proper release, internalized shot sequence, and tuned equipment for straight arrow flight.

Begin at 20 yards with a five-pin AA5 sight, shoot 3-5 arrows to form a group, then move the entire sight for horizontal adjustments and each pin for vertical ones.